Your Guide To The Glycemic Index

What Is the Glycemic Index?

The Glycemic Index—or GI, for short—is a system that ranks foods by how they affect your blood sugar levels. Low-glycemic index foods (less than 55) produce a gradual rise in blood sugar levels that's easy on the body. Foods between 55 and 70 are intermediate-glycemic index foods.

Foods with high-glycemic index numbers (more than 70) make blood sugar levels as well as insulin levels spike fast. We now realize that's a health threat. Mounting research suggests keeping blood sugar levels from spiking pays off in many ways. Foods low on the glycemic index appear to stave off heart disease, prevent type 2 diabetes, help you evade serious side effects if you have diabetes, curb your appetite so you lose weight, and perhaps even help you feel more energetic.

Is It Hard to Use the Glycemic Index?
Definitely not. Here is the general guideline: Include at least one low-glycemic index food at each meal or snack, advises top glycemic index expert Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia.

No one's suggesting you eliminate all high-glycemic index foods, but you can use this guide to work toward more intermediate- and low-glycemic index choices—with the exceptions noted below. So far, there's no fixed rule as to the number of glycemic index points that you are "allowed" at each meal.

Let this guide put the glycemic index to work for you starting today.

Key

* Eat sparingly any low- or intermediate-glycemic index foods that are printed in red, such as candy bars. These are high in empty calories. Eat too much, and you'll crowd out essential nutrients and gain weight.

** On the other hand, don't avoid or even limit high-glycemic index foods that are printed in green. These are low-calorie and very nutritious foods, such as watermelon and baked potato.

Low-Glycemic Index Foods: Less Than 55

Food

Glycemic Index

Artichoke

<15

Asparagus

<15

Broccoli

<15

Cauliflower

<15

Celery

<15

Cucumber

<15

Eggplant

<15

Green Beans

<15

Lettuce, all varieties

<15

Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened

<15

Peanuts

<15

Peppers, all varieties

<15

Snow peas

<15

Spinach

<15

Young summer squash

<15

Zucchini

<15

Tomatoes

15

Cherries

22

Peas, dried

22

Plum

24

Grapefruit

25

Pearled barley

25

Peach

28

Canned peaches, natural juice

30

Dried apricots

31

Soy milk

30

Baby lima beans, frozen

32

Fat-free milk

32

Fettucine

32

M&Ms Chocolate Candies, Peanut*

32

Low-fat yogurt, sugar sweetened

33

Apple

36

Pear

36

Whole wheat spaghetti

37

Tomato soup

38

Carrots, cooked

39

Mars Snickers Bar*

40

Apple juice

41

Spaghetti

41

All-Bran

42

Canned chickpeas

42

Custard

43

Grapes

43

Orange

43

Canned lentil soup

44

Canned pinto beans

45

Macaroni

45

Macaroni

45

Pineapple juice

46

Banana bread

47

Long-grain rice

47

Parboiled rice

47

Bulgur

48

Canned baked beans

48

Grapefruit juice

48

Green peas

48

Oat bran bread

48

Chocolate bar, 1.5 oz*

49

Old-fashioned oatmeal

49

Cheese tortellini

50

Low-fat ice cream*

50

Canned kidney beans

52

Kiwifruit

52

Orange juice, not from concentrate

52

Banana

53

Potato chips*

54

Pound cake*

54

Special K

54

Sweet potato

54

Intermediate-Glycemic Index Foods: 55 to 70

Food

Glycemic Index

Brown rice

55

Canned fruit cocktail

55

Linguine

55

Oatmeal cookies

55

Popcorn

55

Sweet corn

55

Muesli

56

White rice

56

Orange juice from frozen concentrate

57

Pita bread

57

Canned peaches, heavy syrup

58

Mini shredded wheats

58

Bran Chex

58

Blueberry muffin

59

Bran muffin

60

Cheese pizza

60

Hamburger bun

61

Ice cream*

61

Kudos Whole Grain Bars (chocolate chip)

61

Beets

64

Canned apricots, light syrup

64

Canned black bean soup

64

Macaroni and cheese

64

Raisins

64

Couscous

65

Quick-cooking oatmeal

65

Rye crispbread

65

Table sugar (sucrose)*

65

Canned green pea soup

66

Instant oatmeal

66

Pineapple

66

Angel food cake

67

Grape-Nuts

67

Stoned Wheat Thins

67

American rye bread

68

Taco shells

68

Whole wheat bread

69

Life Savers

70

Melba toasts

70

White bread

70

High-Glycemic Index Foods: More Than 70

Food

Glycemic Index

Golden Grahams

71

Bagel

72

Corn chips

72

Watermelon**

72

Honey

73

Kaiser roll

73

Mashed potatoes

73

Bread stuffing mix

74

Cheerios**

74

Cream of Wheat, instant

74

Graham crackers

74

Puffed wheat

74

Doughnuts

75

French fries

76

Frozen waffles

76

Total cereal**

76

Vanilla wafers

77

Grape-Nuts Flakes

80

Jelly beans

80

Pretzels

81

Rice cakes**

82

Rice Krispies

82

Corn Chex

83

Mashed potatoes, instant

83

Cornflakes

84

Baked potato**

85

Rice Chex

89

Rice, instant

91

French bread

95

Parsnips**

97

Dates

103

Tofu frozen dessert

115

Sources: Amer. Jour. of Clinical Nutrition. Excerpted in part from The South Beach Diet (Rodale) by Arthur Agatston, MD.

Holly McCord, RDHolly McCord, a registered dietitian, is former Nutrition Editor of Prevention and author of Win the Cholesterol War (Rodale 2001).

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Prevention participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.